The growth and miserotoxin content of Columbia milkvetch (Astragalus miser Dougl. var. serotinus (Gray) Barneby) were examined in clipping trials at 2 rangeland sites in southern British Columbia during 1984 and 1986. Growth was determined by measuring the freeze-dried weight of each plant and miserotoxin levels were estimated by a rapid screening method that simplified sample preparation for spectrophotometric determination. In both years and at both sites, growth and toxicity were substantially reduced in response to early clipping in the spring. In comparison to untreated plants, the aboveground biomass of clipped plants was reduced by at least 50% during a 6-wk period of regrowth. A similar reduction was also observed in the miserotoxin content of clipped plants. The results indicate that early grazing may reduce the potential hazard of timber milkvetch to livestock. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.